Mary Lou Baker (right) and her co-author Holly Smith show off their brand new food and travel book at the Annapolis Barnes and Noble bookstore.

So last weekend I went to the Key School Book Fair, where Mary Lou Baker was giving a brief talk about her book A Seafood Lover’s Chesapeake Bay. Mary Lou is a very friendly, incredibly genuine and generous person, and in the spirit of finding someone wonderfully decent in this crazy, indecent world, I thought of how nice it would be to hear her story. You can read about our rendezvous here.

She allowed me to include a couple of recipes from the book in the paper and on the blog. You can have 3. But I encourage you to buy the book, which not only has a ton of information on the many little towns that dot Maryland’s Chesapeake region, but also tidbits about cool people, festivals, events and places to go in the region. Plus 100+ Maryland seafood recipes!

Photo courtesy of Wild Country Seafood in Annapolis, MD

First: a drink. File this under “A Marylander’s Must Have Conversation-Starter”

Harrison’s Famous Oyster Shooter

Recipe Courtesy of Harrison’s Harbor Watch, Ocean City, MD

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 Chesapeake Bay oyster, shucked, natural likker reserved

2 oz chili-infused Finlandia vodka

3 dashes Tabasco sauce

1 1/2 oz cocktail sauce

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

2 dashes black pepper

1/4 lemon wedge

Method

Place shucked oyster, including likker, in a small rocks glass.

Pour chilled vodka over ice in a cocktail shaker

Combine vodka and all other ingredients except the lemon wedge in the glass with the oyster. Stir well and garnish with lemon wedge.

NOTE: to make the chili-infused vodka, add 7 hot dried chili peppers (chile de arbor are recommended) to 1 liter of Finlandia vodka. Let infuse for 2 weeks. Vodka will naturally take on a golden amber color when ready.

Photo by ForagingforFlavor.com

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes (a sacred recipe in my humble opinion)

Recipe courtesy of Ken Upton, Ken’s Creative Kitchen, Annapolis, MD

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb jumbo lump Maryland crabmeat

1 egg

1 TB Dijon mustard

1/4 cup mayonnaise (homemade with lemon would be great)

1/2 ts salt

1/4 ts pepper

1/4 -1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

Method

Carefully pick over crabmeat to remove cartilage and bits of shell. Set aside.

Combine egg, mustard, mayonnaise, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix well.

Add the crabmeat to the mayonnaise mixture and stir until combined. Add enough bread crumbs to form a sticky mixture.

Shape the mixture into 4 crab cakes and sauté in a buttered skillet over medium heat until golden brown.

Carolyn’s Crab-Shrimp Dip

recipe courtesy of Blue Crab Cafe, Crisfield, MD

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

3 heaping TB backfin crabmeat

4 large shrimp, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup whipped cream cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup Pimiento-spread cheese

3 shakes Worcestershire Sauce

3 shakes Old Bay Seasoning

5-6 shakes Montreal Steak Seasoning

Mix all the ingredients together in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 3 minutes.

Carefully remove bowl from the microwave and scrape dip into a microwave-safe glass casserole dish. Microwave for 2 minutes more, or until bubbly and heated through. Serve with pita crisps or chips.

Drunken Dancing Prawns

Recipe Courtesy of Blue Point Provision Company, Cambridge, MD

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 TB canola oil

16-20 prawns

1 ounce sake

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 TB rough-chopped cilantro

2. oz shredded red onion

2 oz julienned carrot

1 green onion, cut on the bias in 1 inch pieces

1 oz cognac

1/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce

1/4 cup canned coconut milk, stirred well

6 oz steamed jasmine rice

toasted sesame seeds

Method

Heat oil in heavy skillet over high heat

While the oil is heating, marinate the prawns in the sake with half the garlic and cilantro.

Sear the prawns briefly in the hot oil.

Add the red onions, carrots, green onions, and remaining garlic, and simmer to soften the vegetables

Add the cognac, stirring to deglaze the pan.

Add the chili sauce and coconut milk. Adjust to taste, adding more chili sauce for a spicier flavor and more coconut milk for a milder taste.

Place a generous scoop of steamed rice in the center of an Asian bowl and pour the prawns and sauce over the top. To serve, sprinkle with sesame seeds and the remaining cilantro.

Comments

Do you have a recipe for yeast rolls? My grandmom Willie was from Cambridge, Md and she made the absolute best yeast rolls I have ever stuck in my mouth. She came over to the west shore of Maryland in 1927. No one in our family has the recipe. She had told me that she had no recipe. Eastern Shore cooks are the best!

Hi Carol, I have two really great cookbooks from Eastern Shore churches way back in the day that I will look through for you. Sorry I have been away from the blog for ages because of other writing jobs, so I didn’t get your message. I will check tonight.

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Meet Diana

I live on the East Coast, but I am a West Coast girl at heart! My family is full of crazy, wild women who live life to the fullest, and I am proud to follow in their footsteps. Did I mention I love to travel? We never sit for too long and are eager to share with you all we know about our adventures. We are always on the hunt for cool, hip artisans and entrepreneurs who like to share their fresh, local ideas and products. Join me to forage for a more flavorful life! Read More…

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